001of the Somerset Berkeley Regional School Committee at 6:01 p.m. Due notice having been posted. Pursuant to the open meeting law, any person may make an audio or video recording of this public meeting or may transmit the meeting through any medium. Attendees are therefore advised that such recordings or transmissions may be made, whether perceived or unpersceived by those present, and are deemed acknowledged and permissible. We'll do a roll call of members present. Miss Ferrer >> present. >> Miss Ashley >> present. >> Mr. Pastnac >> present. >> Mr. Borges >> present. >> Miss Gardini >> and the chair is present. Also with us this evening our superintendent of schools Dr. Jeffrey Skunover, our chief financial officer Raquel Pelerin, our principal Dr. Susan Brazford, and our recording secretary Robin Vicaro. I'd ask to please rise for the pledge.
002I pledge algiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. >> I'd ask if you could actually please remain standing for a moment. Um, we'd like to take this time to um note that the last time we were here, we had the great privilege to recognize Mr. Dr. Bill Aguiar, um teacher, guidance counselor, director of evening summer school and kids summer learning program. We all share in our sadness at his recent passing. Um I know many of us will be attending his services. So at this time um I would just ask us all to take a moment of silence in recognition of his long and distinguished career and wonderful life. Thank you everyone. Thank you
003very much. Um, please note that the next regularly scheduled meeting of this committee will be held on Tuesday, January 20th, 2026 at 6 p.m. here in the Somerset Berkeley Regional High School Library. Um, and the first item on the agenda this evening under student teaching and learning is our student representative report. Mr. Bis, Mr. Afternoon everyone. How are we? Great. Um, it's lovely to see all of you again. It's felt like forever since last time I've seen you. It's been very busy. Uh, tonight I'd like to highlight something that students in front of me to talk about being the cell phone policy. Uh, the Massachusetts State uh, Congress, the Senate voted in favor of uh, fully banning cell phones in schools. However, the House uh, still has plans, you know, with the bill vote on
004it. So, I just wanted to ask you guys actually uh if you guys had any plans of coming into the next year, any plans of making the phone policy stricter or making keeping it the same or waiting to see the decision before they're changing anything. I can say as a student, the phone policy now has definitely been um a success if the goal is to make you know cell phones less, you know, used in class has definitely done a great job. Adrian, >> do you think just for the benefit of folks at home who might not be familiar, could you just explain what the how the current policy works in a typical class? >> Sure, absolutely. So, as you walk into class, uh you are expected to put your phone into the cell phone tray,
005uh which holds all your cell phones, so it is not accessible to you during class. And then if you leave the classroom for any reason to go to the bathroom, nurse, principal's office, uh you cannot take your phone with you. It must stay in the phone tree. And the phone can only be used during lunch uh passing periods and well you know once you leave so that's the expectation >> what was that >> students >> yes that I don't have study right now so I'm not familiar with that >> um I think in terms of the committee I think we've just sort of had sort of very informal check-ins regarding the policy. Correct me if I'm wrong, Dr. Dr. Brosburg. >> I think what we've heard is that the current policy does seem to be
006working pretty well. Um, but obviously our hand may be forced by the legislature. Um, I think at this point our position has been to wait and see. >> Um, but I would ask Dr. Skoonover or Dr. Brosford to weigh in on that as well. Well, we have uh discussed it formally and formally uh we've seen schools that have implemented yarn pouches um with much success. Uh I know I speak with the time superintendent uh that was something that was implemented this year and by all accounts uh this was just a remarkable change in the culture. um school in terms of a focus on learning uh having the distractions out of uh students hands during the day. I've heard most superintendents where they either unaccounted or or something similar and uh the impact is usually pretty
007quick and pretty substantial. With that said, I think things actually have improved at home at Berkeley over the past few years without having to go down that path. Uh just, you know, my times in the classrooms, it's uh fairly uh rare particularly compared to Dr. Gford. So, I get to, you know, hear what she has to say. But, uh I've I've seen a change. Not that there was ever a really significant problem here. Um, but I haven't seen the devices uh in classrooms like I did in years past. I there's certainly more of a focus on learning and without having the distraction. uh so you know if something is working then I don't know if if it requires uh sign a significant shift but we do know the impact the negative impact that the attachment
008to devices and access to social media has on students and the schools that have implemented not only have they seen that shift to learning as I said uh but on their social emotional components that go along with it. There have also been significant decreases there. Uh so uh it is something that is worth considering as we wait and see what the state uh ultimately does. Uh they may just require a uh policy that forces local educational agencies uh to create a policy like we already have. Um without having to go with a you know full-on ban during the school day. So, we'll have to see what the state uh you know how how strictly uh want to enforce this and most >> you know I mean I agree with Mr. Sanders in particular in light
009of many of the department of education policies that have come out lately. I think it's important to wait a see and see what they have to say before we walk down a road. Um, but I do think that we've made a huge push to enforce the policy that we have for in the past two years, particularly this year in the past, but particularly in the hallways. I've sent a few emails out, gentle reminders to students, um, reminding them of the policy and you're in class no matter where we are. where in the hallways using the bathroom are still in class. So the cell phone policy is in existence. Um but I I am a believer in this building is supposed to be preparing students for their life after Somerset Berkeley and their life after Somerset
010Berkeley will always include one of these. So there's appropriate times to use cell phones and there's appropriate times not to use cell phones. And that's my philosophy this year of what we're trying to train students to do. When we're in class, we're supposed to be in class and focused on learning. We're in class focused on learning. If we have a break, you know, lunch for my students, lunch is recess. Like that's the only time they have. If they choose to go on their phones and that's their break, I mean, for some of us, right, where we make YouTube videos and that cows people down, some people shouldn't, you know, lose track of time. Um, but I think there's a time and a place and that's what we're trying to instill in the students this year
011is there's proper times, there's not proper times and we've done a really big push with our faculty. Um, and I do I see huge changes from what was going on here. I think the only thing I would add is that obviously as with many of things that come from the state um if this were to become a requirement there's a budgetary impact on that which I'm sure will be unfunded. Um, so we may need I think it would be wise for us to start to at least explore what that impact might be if we if we were um required to do this um including for this next upcoming budget because that may we may not have a choice but um so I think it's um that's our approach at this point. I think student input
012and I know that you have um multiple avenues in addition to this for providing that would be important. >> I'd like to pass it off to Isabella. >> Thank you. Um other things other than self policy at our last meeting for we discussed possible new courses being added to our curriculum. Um there was an interest in different arts and APs especially financial literacy. Um he talked about courses for already existing extracurricular club. Um there was interest in science and also trades and life skills. If you want me to go more in depth like what specifically some of those classes might look like. Um there was interest in building trading classes for our APs. Um students wanted to see possible thoughts about AP western civilizations, AP comparative government, AP physics, which not be biased, I personally
013would be a fan of um and AP human geography. very um and then there are classes as well as likeology and woodworking, number theory, numerical analysis, um general art that's not focused, um AI literacy and visual citizenship and then culinary class, life and relationships and life skills. So those are just some interesting classes. And then also I've seen students talking about language requirements and potentially looking at adding ASL or American Sign Language to our courses as well as possibly French um rather than just the current Spanish offerings. Um and then graduation requirements. There's also talk about financial literacy like filing taxes, credit cards, credit scores because students feel like that's not um spoken about enough in the classroom setting. I mean obviously there's like um >> civics, >> huh? >> Civics. Yeah, but that's really
014like half a year. >> It's really blip. Yeah, >> it's not much of a focus in civics and >> financial aience class that you elective and the students that we were talking to that day hadn't taken that class so they could speak to it. I've been in that class and many of those topics are take it. So, I know we're going to talk about later, but if financial literacy comes down the pike as a graduation requirement, I think we're in good shape because finance classes just Definitely more sexual. >> Great. I love to hear students who want who are upset about not enough AP physics not running every year. This is a great problem to have. Thank you very much. Any student reports? Okay. Well, I hope you can stay for a little while because
015we are going to be talking about program studies and would be um very interested in your feedback on that. Um, all right. Next on the agenda, um, we would like to recognize our November visionaries. The committee would like to recognize Zachary Cruz, academic, Isabelle Gomes, empathetic. Bella Homl, resilient. Brennan Martins, independent. Audrey McN, respectful. Uh, Mororrow Sami Samito, independent. Maya Soua, digital citizen. And Claire Souza, digital citizen. Congratulations to those students and thank you for your hard work. Um the next item on the agenda was um recognition of our D2 state champion field hockey team. That is an item that we're going to move I think to our next meeting um as they are all um busy playing other sports and doing things tonight. So um we will definitely recognize them at a future meeting.
016Um, the next item on the agenda is public input. On topics of the agenda, is there anyone for public input? Okay. Next on the agenda, then we have business and financial matters. First up, we have our November financial statement. Miss Pelar, >> um, first off, I do want to apologize that we do not have budget amendments on board tonight. Um, a few things that we're still awaiting. um certification of free cash, B&D or excess deficiencies depending on what you'd like to refer to it as and also uh the approval of our title grants. So, we're waiting for those two things to be approved um with uh the titles right now until they are not approved. Um the title expenditures are charged to general fund that will be adjusted once that's approved. Um with the um
017approval of END uh it may change the um more of the special ed prepayment to the prior year. So we'll still be working with do on that. That being said, 87% of the budget is either expended or covered, which means um will be spent or committed to be spent. Um that leaves about 13%. Um we also when we do our budget amendments, we'll be pulling in our other funds. So you'll have a chance to look at capital under grant funding and that'll be a good segue into budget. >> Thank you. Does anyone have any questions about the November FinT? >> No. Okay, great. Um, thank you. Um are we able to do an update on capital and stabilization or >> we I mean we can talk a little bit about it. Um the uh part
018of the reporting um excess deficiencies is um eararking or reporting what is committed for um capital projects. Superintendent and I talked briefly about um during budgeting discussing going forward budgeting for an operating budget in capital. So at this point we'll be doing a full um report out on capital. You're going to see that the capital funds from last year that were carried over have been exhausted in the current year. Um stabilization has either been exhausted or committed. Um so now you're working with excess and deficiencies. So bringing that forward and once certification does happen, we expect to have it by the next meeting and we can discuss appropriations to replenish capital stabilization but also looking at creating law with access. >> Thank you. Any questions? Moving along. Um, the next item on the agenda is
019to discuss an act on the approval of a new student activity account for the class of 2029. >> And this is just standard. It's just >> with our freshman class, we need to establish >> uh a student activity for that. >> Um I would entertain a motion to approve the establishment of the class of 2029 student activity account. >> So sorry, >> you can make the motion. I'll second. >> All right. >> Motion by Mr. Pernack and seconded by Miss Ashley. Is there anything further on discussion? Hearing none. All those in favor? Opposed? So voted. Thank you everyone. Okay. Um next on the agenda under new business we have our student achievement summary. So tonight we're going to take you through um our presentation on our assessment data and then so this hospital will start
020with that and followed by the school plan for the 26 school year. So tonight we'll be talking about MCCAST data. We'll be talking about our dual enrollment data project leadway post secondary education statistics um advanced placement and SAT information and then we will go into the school improvement plan. We have been using this quote for a few years. Um I went to NASQ we all went to NASQA in 2023 and there was excellent presenter became a disciple. He was like you love to follow his work and he does a lot of work with data um and connects it to technology and especially AI. He's kind of one of the leaders in AI education talking about the importance of teaching it uh schools and he said and it's a quote that really stuck with me that
021behind every data point is a human and behind every human is a story. So when we look at their past scores, when we look at AP scores, we have to remember, especially when we're dealing with students that, you know, they're people and they all have a story and collectively we have a story. It's a different story every year, right? Because we're getting a different group of students in front of us. So I think it's important to keep that at the forefront of everything we talk about in this meeting or any other meeting that we go to. Um, so, >> yep. So, we've seen this slide before and, um, but we always like to kind of take a look and and remind um, everyone of what our priorities are. So, of course, the social, emotional, and
022overall wellness of our students, families, and educators is um, continues to be one of our top priorities. Um when we talk about uh teaching and learning, we want to structure be a flexible learning framework that provides access to all essential learning standards and an opportunity for deeper understanding. So um we really want to ensure that the standards that we're spending our time on um give students access their they're high leverage standards and um that we're also giving them the opportunity to have some voice and choice in the work that we do. um ensuring strong grade appropriate instruction with just in time scaffolds again so the students have the supports that they need as they need it and our ongoing commitment to learning and that's why we're all here. We always like to include our um
023vision of the graduate slide um because this is really uh the core of the work that we do um and we're always going back to our vision of the graduate. So our MCCAST data um for we're going to start with ELA um we've shared 2024 and 2025 when we take a look at our exceeds expectations and uh meeting expectations um we have are at 58% um for meeting and exceeding expectations which is up uh slightly from last year. Um and you can see that the state uh meeting and exceeding expectations was 51%. So we are quite a bit above that um in terms of our ELA and we're going to talk a little bit about uh some of the work that we're doing related to the different subject areas um as we move forward with
024the um strategic I'm sorry with our school improvement plan. Thank you. Um when we take a look at math um it was a a slight decline in the meeting and exceeding expectations um we are at uh 50% uh for some Berkeley and uh the state is actually uh slightly lower than us at 45% um and uh in terms of our science uh just remember we uh do physics first So, uh we have our um physics students who take it as freshmen. Um and uh this data is actually not from this past year, it's from the year before. Um so again, just a reminder. Uh so we are looking uh at a slight increase in terms of meeting expectations at 54%. Um which is also uh quite a bit higher than the state which was So
025unfortunately it looks like some of this got cut off. You can't see that. You can't see all this. Um but this is our data beyond the impass uh going all the way back to 2021 dual enrollment um internships. Excuse me. our project lead the way programs virtual high school students that went to two-year colleges four-year colleges trades then we have our SAT which again the SAT total got cut off and the number of students in uh advanced placement it's a lot of data so if you make it any smaller I think uh you can't read it anyway um so starting with the dual enrollment um currently we only have uh three students participating in dual enrollment Uh but something that you're going to see in my school career plan and when we get to program
026studies a little bit is we really have been doing a lot of work uh to promote enrollment. So stay tuned. Give me a little bit of time. We'll talk about that a little later. Um our internship program um is steady right now. uh where we are struggling right now to be perfectly honest and um spell referenced it before is students are looking for internships in trades and we are uh struggling to find some partnerships with that because many of the apprenticeship programs you need to have like a program of studies in school. You have to have classes in school in order to get those apprenticeships. Although we have done some personal uh partnerships with some community members who have said, you know, I have an auto mechanic shop and I will take an intern or
027two and it started with a family member and it's continued. So they're like, we'll keep we'll keep working with you. So we've made some partnerships there. Uh we may be forming a partnership with National Grid. So we're expanding in those areas. Uh but we do have a lot of students looking for that. So we're trying to uh to fit the individual needs of the students that are that are interested in those programs. But this year we have internships uh everything from auto mechanic to education. We still have a partnership with the fire department. So um Melissa Andre is working very hard with those students. I'm proud to say that she's taken it a step beyond even what I started envisioning uh the program to be which is the students now go to their internship but
028once a week they meet meet with her and she has developed like specialized curriculum for each student in an internship. So the education students are going through curriculum around becoming a teacher. Uh she's actually formed students that are in business. She's formed a business curriculum. Uh we have one student that is doing an internship at a bridal salon and that person had curriculum. She had already taken internship. So they each have their own little specialized curriculum that they do on Friday. So that's I think really exciting. Our biomed project leadaway numbers continue to increase. uh computer science is is a work in progress, but uh again when we get to talking about the corporate studies, I'll reference that again, but we are we're kind of trying to push that a little more. Um virtual high
029school, again, we'll talk about that in a little bit. We'd like to pivot a little bit away from virtual high school and more towards dual enrollment opportunities moving forward. Um although we will need to keep some slots in virtual high school clubs because as you can see especially this year we have nine students enrolled in virtual high school right now. Seven of those nine are enrolled in AP classes and the reason that they're enrolled in those AP classes uh is twofold. Some of them because we just don't offer the class here because we don't have enough interest. Um for example in AP music theory we have two or three kids every year who are looking for AP music theory. you can't run a class with two students in it. Uh, and we've had significant success
030with AP music theory. Students that are taking this class in original high school are scoring fours and fives consistently over the years. Uh, with that, we do have other students who are in those AP classes because they simply can't fit them into their schedule. Uh, but we do struggle a little bit some of those classes because um, as some of you know, you're a virtual high school. The teacher can be teaching from literally anywhere in the world. They could be in Wal and be teaching this class. And most of the classes are asynchronous, but we've run into some situations where some of them are synchronous and they want you to be online at 1:00 in the afternoon. And our students are in English at 1:00 in the afternoon. So, it becomes a struggle and the
031struggle is real and sometimes the struggle happens after the with the withdrawal date. So then we have paid for the slot and the student like physically can't complete the class. So we've had a couple struggles with that. We've had great success with it too. So um again we kind of want to pivot away from that. We'll talk about that in a little bit. Uh you can see the college data, the trade school data. Um all of that obviously this year is still unknown. And then our advanced placement continues to be very strong. Uh this year they have not given out the recognition banners yet. We anticipate continuing with our status as silver member school. Um but that one we won't find out until January. So uh so again I think Dr. Scoover referenced this already
032at the beginning of the year. This is our AP data for last year. Uh I'm really really impressed and proud particularly with the percentage at the bottom there of the total number of AP students with the three or better. We went from 75.56% in 2024 to 86.43% of the students that took AP exams scored at the three or better which equates to college credit. So I really really impressed disease isn't even a strong number. I was totally exper >> I just I have one question about internships in Dr. Dr. In addition to the challenge of trying to find the appropriate sort of sponsoring organization or whatever, are there any other barriers like I think like schedule scheduling that make it particularly challenging to to try to expand that? >> So, we've been really creative with
033the way that we use our schedule. We've also um put some flex time in because as many of you know, our schedule rotates. So when those periods meet at the beginning of the day, we give those students um grace so to speak where they don't come in for those periods, but the expectation that we have is when they're meeting at the end of the day, their class time goes until 3:00 3:30 on certain days. So their day kind of gets pushed down rather than starts at 7:25 because the system is still open at 7:25. Um, we've been really creative and aspen too. Mrs. Ashley call the computer part of this. We have probably 10 different sections of internship because some students take one uh two periods, some take three, four, um, I think four is
034the maximum. Um, but we have been really really creative with making sure that our schedule which can be difficult for internships is not a barrier to the internship process. >> Thank you. And that's why that's where the Fridays came into being of the Friday curriculum because that was the day that we struggled to fit that in. So, okay, there's a barrier. What are we going to do with that period? They actually have a course that they meet and that's when they start putting their projects together that they'll present at the end of the year, which I hope you'll meet because it's really really awesome to see those. >> I just and just one other question about VHS, which I know. Um, so for students who are enrolled in that, they're actually they're scheduled into it
035in their schedule, even if it's asynchronous. >> No, it's at the end of it's it's on top of the seven classes they take during >> Okay. Some of them work on it during study hall time because seniors have half a year stud. >> Okay. That's what I was that was my question is do they do >> some of them choose to take it on top of their class >> and it but it goes on their transcript. Yes, it does. Okay. question. >> Not at this time. Thank you. >> So, the school member improvement plan this year, as always, comes from our district goals, which I believe were in the last year of our four district goals. We will be going forward with that. Um, but I always do link the school improvement plan to district
036goals. I also link the school improvement plan to the NEOS schools because while we're kind of in I don't can't remember right now what year we're in. We're like year four um of our 10-year NEAS cycle, but we are always mindful of the work that we have to do for NEAS over the 10ear cycle. So um I believe that the full school improvement plan was shared with all of you and in that full school improvement plan you can see the links to the plans and recommendations that um but my school improvement goals this year um really center around teaching and learning for all students. Um, I think that it's a really important goal for the school to elevate teaching and learning for all students and really keeping a focus on all students. We just talked
037about all that awesome AP data and all that, but really a hyperfocus on teaching and learning across the board for every student to make sure that we have rigorous and equitable opportunities for all students in summer subal high school. So, to that end, I I think the goals this year are really really focused on teaching and learning. And I know that you've heard us talking about our three-year professional development pathway. Um, but we're also in the end of that three-year pathway. So, we're focused on teaching and learning for all students. So the first uh goal is I can't read that. So to develop and implement engaging curriculum uh high quality instruction and authentic assessment practices that emphasize career, college and post-secary readiness by focusing on reading and writing across the curriculum and implementing a consistent
038writing rubric across all content areas. This came from the MCCAST data that we've looked at over the last couple years. And where we really see deficiencies is in student writing. So particularly our English department sat down and looked at uh the AP writing rubric and we developed the some last year we developed the Somerset Berkeley um writing rubric off of the AP writing rubric and we did a lot of focus group areas with the entire uh faculty. We got into dis interdisciplinary groups. We looked at the writing rubric. I know I attached that in my uh school improvement plan and we adopted that this year and what the expectation is for all staff is that by June of this year 100% of our faculty will be implementing the schoolwide writing rubric at least four times
039over the course of the school year and we will at the end of this year have a report on the hopefully increases uh in writing across the curriculum. And we've already seen some gains in that because our English department, I'm going to talk about that in a second, but our English department uh started using this writing rubric even before it was adopted last year. So, we've already seen some uh increases in that. The English department has also really gone um they've taken a deep dive into assessing students and doing a lot of common assessments. So they started a baseline standardsbased uh assessment right at the beginning of the year and we're able to track that data as well. So we we we're doing a real real concrete focus on reading and writing across all the
040departments and the departments are implementing in different ways and those are some really good conversations that we had with the math department with the science department. What does writing look like in all these areas? Because we write for different purposes in different places. So, we've had really good conversations there. There are some departments that are embedding the writing rubric in different ways. It may not be the entire writing rubric, but they've picked out pieces and focused on that. So, by department, we will have a report out on the success of implementing their writing rubric this year. And then at the end of the year, the beginning of next year, we'll go back and maybe reassess, you know, what we're doing, how we're doing, what the writing rubric looks like when we need to make some
041tweaks because this is year one. Um but that is the the first goal. Uh the second goal is to foster a collaborative and reflective school community by conducting classroom learning walks as both an administrative team and with teacher partners to observe, share and learn from high quality instructional practices across disciplines. Um and we've partnered with Blueine to do this. So, as part of our professional development, um, I looked for volunteer teachers and staff who are interested in creating their own professional practice smart to do learning walks throughout the course of the year. and we meet uh with Heidi Vasquez who we partnered with through Line and she and I sat down and created a kind of a a walkth through checklist of of what were the what were we going to focus on and what
042were we going to look for and we started with the administrative team. So myself, the central office uh team and the principles from the Somerset public schools all got together at the beginning of this year and we focused on uh as I think learning walk should we focused on uh two standards from the teacher rubric. One active engagement in the real world uh which is standard 2A2 and student ownership of learning. So that is our focus every time we do these informal learning walks. I mean they're not they're not observations or evaluatory in any way. It's just to see what's going on in the classrooms. And you know the purpose of this is for the teachers to see best practices and to really see what's going on in each other's classrooms. And we've already we
043only done this we did this once as a leadership team to get some baseline data. Then we did this as a uh a teacher team um with the school based administrative team and the team of teachers. And when we all got back in the room after we did about an hour and a half of learning walks, everybody was a Friday morning. And at 9:30, everybody got back in the room. They were like, "That was the best hour and a half of my week." Like it was just so great to get into classrooms and to see what all the awesome things that were happening. and then kind of talk about what we saw and you know what what again great things are happening in our classrooms. And then our last one and I kind of pivot
044on this one with all of the information uh coming out from the Department of Education and what do they say work smarter not harder like we're doing this anyway. So uh the third one is to analyze the current graduation requirements and competence determinations and create a proposal and plan for adhering to the new Massachusetts competency determination standards for grades 9 through 12 as well as the mass core standards. Um you know I've heard from you I come to these meetings we we collaborate quite a bit and I know that you know we're we're moving towards math score. We have already adopted the math standards for you know our grades 9 and 10 students I believe. I know we want to have more conversation about the world language um math score standards. There is going to
045be talk in here in a few minutes about the new graduation requirements and financial literacy. So we need to do that. I've also heard you about the um semesterbased classes to give students more voice and choice in these classrooms. So, um, my content coordinators and I are sitting down and we are forming a plan. um not for next year because our program of studies everything's kind of we need to get going on this now so that we can have students sign up for classes and schedules to go out but um 2728 the following year we are going to be ready to do semester based classes for students to give students more voice and choice um and more opportunities for electives. Um the vision for that is um grade 9 through 12 electives that are first
046year courses will be open for semester based opportunities and then if students want to kind of hyperfocus you know I love TV media or I love ceramics and I want to take that advanced study that would then remain a full year class so they can really dive deep into that. Um, and then in some of our other courses like our music courses for example, band, orchestra, we're we're trying to build the program anyway and we don't want to lose students by making that a se. We'd have like a semester 1 option, a semester 2, you could do a semester option or you could choose to take it both semesters. There would be. So, we're looking at those types of things. Um but when I met with my content coordinators and I can share this with
047you if you are interested in it um there was a lengthy list of things we need to work out before we jump into this you know to deep end the pool with this. So um we're excited about it. There's a lot of uh departments that are like you know let's go like I I can't wait to do this but we we want to make sure that we are doing this like go slow to go fast. We want to make sure that we're going to do this correctly, that it's going to work with student schedules because we don't want to go back with especially I think we were here the last time we had this. We don't want to go back to those holes and those study halls. We want to make sure that we we
048understand what we're doing. Um I have a meeting with uh the other principles in our SEC group on Thursday. I'm going to look to talk to some of the schools that do that so that we can get my scheduler, you know, Kim Dudo with their scheduler and make sure that she understands what's going on because we also, you know, want to make sure that this works for everybody 12. So, that being said, I talk um just really quickly, um this was my point going back to the writing rubric. Uh this is already some gains But these are already gains that we've seen uh between 2020 2024 and 2025 on uh the district percent possible points on some of these different areas um that the English department is already uh seeing across the MCAST. The difference
049in the MCAST between 24 and 25 in these areas has already increased just we think in part because we started using these standards last year. Um this is what I was talking about with the um the baseline data. So when we go back to talking about our walkthroughs, this was standard 2A2 and this was the data that we collected as our baseline data. So when Dr. Spooner and Miss Haskell um Miss Passion I think was there and the principles from Somerset, this is what we saw when we were walking through classrooms. Um and again nothing good or bad here. is just what we saw and then okay like we're interested between the professional development between the mindfulness because we've also um told our faculty you know this is kind of what we're what we're looking
050for in our professional development has really been focused on this engagement and student centered um activities and you know classrooms we're seeing a lot of gains here so that's kind of exciting just the other one and then this is Just a reminder of our graduation expectations for the competency determinations and the tiered approach and we already talked about this of the things that we need to get going on uh in some capacity. We're not really sure where we're going with this yet. I think with the Department of Education, I think we're going to have more clear guidelines, but I do believe that wherever the Department of Education falls, there will be some competency determination around some type of proof of mastery of the sub the math course subjects and I do believe that we will
051be going towards some type of portfolio or project approach by the time that students are seniors. We've already got some plans in place with that. um we'll be embedding um my cap and MEIFA. We're going to use MEIFA as our grounding place for our MYAP and our college of career readiness. And we've talked to them about the fact that they're even talking about creating a more personalized portfolio option for students. So, we're hoping they can kind of get this all together. That is the first part of my presentation. I think we're gonna launch it right into the burden of studies after that. So, >> does anyone have any questions? >> I don't have any questions. I I would just say that um you know, I think that obviously the students that you're receiving come from
052two different school districts. And I know at the Somerset Cut side on the, you know, preK through 8, we're working really hard toward improving student academic achievement. So, I think that that over the next several years, combined with what you're planning to do here, uh, I think we're going to see some pretty significant increases in student achievement over the next few years. Um, really happy to see the rubric. That is something that we also discussed at the um Somerset PreK through 8. We can't expect students to meet an expectation unless we've clearly outlined what the expectation is. And it I've not seen the rubric, but I would assume that the rubric clearly demonstrates like what the expectation is for writing in any subject area. So, you know, it makes me happy to see that. I
053love when some of it overlaps too because when I've been in walkthroughs and I mean I obviously have to do full on speech and all that but I will hear teachers say and I'll hear students say you know referencing the writing rubric and it's nice like to hear that in very serious it's not just in English there's other teachers that are saying you know talk about the writing rubric make sure you're looking right so set it up it's definitely taking shape >> constant reminders of the expectations Right. >> I benefit from constant reminders, right? Like we're humans. So I think that's true of our students as well. Um speaking of the observations, I I'm happy to hear that teachers will be participating in that. um and getting out of their own subject matter as well
054because you know when you're in elementary school and you teach multiple subjects, it's a little bit easier for you to be a little bit more fluid about your instructional practices and and I just know, you know, from my experience in in both elementary and high school levels when you get into a certain subject matter and that's what you're teaching all day and you've been teaching that for years, sometimes you can get stuck in, well, this is how we do it in this subject and it is good to see oh well I you know in this subject they're doing it this way and how could I do something like that in my own classroom um and it's good to just get out of your classroom and and see what else is happening >> and see different
055instructional practices but also see the students in different areas too because unlike the K to8 particularly the middle school we don't have that team approach it's just not I I've never seen it possible in a high school if it exists let me know um but we don't have that team approach. So seeing the students in different ways and how students learn differently maybe with different instructional practices and boy oh I can try that because you know students responding maybe to that classes uh I think it's a huge benefit and we have heard since the day we moved into this building that it's an isolating build that the teachers get stuck in their own departments because we have our collaborative areas. are kind of always in the same place. And so this was really an opportunity
056to kind of push people out of their comfort zone a little. And again, we only have done it once. We're going to do it again in January when we get back from the break. But the positivity of everybody returning after it was over was really nice. And again, it's not evaluatory. It's it we we actually created a norm. One of the first things we did was it's all about positivity and the good things happening in classes. We're very very focused. It's not about anything bad. It's all about what are the awesome practices that are happening. And that's really nice to see. >> May I there's also a connection between our work with um our professional learning work with throughine and the student experience. And so as um as you look at kind of the areas
057of the standards that that we're looking at in terms of those learning walks um it's also we we are also measuring the student experience with teachers who are participating in the professional learning and so that is one of the major indicators of our success in terms of professional development. often we we have professional um development or professional learning and then we ask the teachers how do you think it went? Um so so we're asking them and we're asking kids and so it really ties all of those pieces together and we are all rowing in the same direction and we're we're using those measures directly connected to kids. >> Ironically, I don't even if you know this but this student experience survey that this hospital is talking about, we give it um by annually. So we
058give it once midway through the year and we give it once at the end of the year and this is the two and a half year point in doing that tomorrow is the first survey. So we will be sending that out to students. We'll be getting that data. We'll have that data by the end of January. So we will see and we have seen gains since we started our professional uh development pathways. we have seen gains in this survey with these particular indicators um from the students. So even you know it's great to ask the teachers but it's not their diploma, it's a student's diploma and we've seen gains there. So that's nice to report and teachers are asking for more data. They they we only do it with one period with one group of
059students and the students are doing the um the survey in just in that class so that we don't get you know kind of that assessment burnout. Um and they the teachers are like in all our classes. >> I'd really like to know what everybody is thinking. So um it really is a a very um impactful um and effective um means to measure um for adults and for kids. So and again when we're talking about all students we disagregate that data in various ways. We do it by grade levels. We do it by uh students with disabilities. We do it with gender. We do a social socioeconomic um so all of the data in Aspen is all anonymous but we get the data in all those different ways so we can make some decisions and see
060differences in student responses and it's >> it's interesting it's great data but you know like I said we've seen some areas where we need to grow and we've seen some really great strides >> and it's causing us uh is causing awareness and asking some questions about how we might be able to do it differently. And then we're back to kind of the walk through seeing how other people do things. And where we're at the end of our professional development pathway is also springboarding us into okay, what's the next pathway going to look like because now we need to refocus and give the next round of professional development opportunities. The final point I wanted to make was about I was really happy to hear you talk about, you know, supporting all students. Um I I think
061that um a traditional college prep high school such as this one, it, you know, naturally lends itself to students who are intrinsically motivated by academics and doing well and getting good grades and um who already have plans to go to a four-year college or a two-year college. Um but you know trying to support students who don't necessarily have that mindset, don't necessarily see themselves going to college. Um and still trying to impress upon the fact that they can take these courses, they can take dual enrollment, you know, and it's a very lowrisk place to try a college class, right? Like even looking back on my own high school experience, I told myself I I couldn't cut it in AP, so I didn't take AP classes. And now as a grown-up, I'm looking back and I'm
062like, of course, I could have done that. But, you know, look for those quiet kids who maybe have some confidence issues that are, you know, causing them to hold themselves back. Um, because I think all of our students can be successful in any program they choose here. um and that will better prepare them for whatever they choose to do in the future. So those are my two cents. Thank you very much. >> I would just add to that too. I think that um I'm looking at the data on the slide 14 and seeing like four-year college going seems pretty consistent. Interest in the trades pretty consistent at least over the past few years but up a little bit. The two-year colleges where you see a little bit of a bump, right? I think when we
063talk about college, it we have a much more expansive definition of what that means now, right? And that um a two-year college might not even mean a two-year program that there are programs, right, that um are more lead to a certification that might be a nine-month or, you know, something shorter like that. So I think for I think and I'm so happy to hear sort of how you're framing it that when we talk about preparing students um that we can do all those things we can for if they're interested because also students might say I might want to be an electrician but I also might want to I could be interested in radiation technology and I might want to go into business. So, and I think so we can the work that you're doing means
064that we can prepare them for any of those doors that they might want to walk through. And we also recognize that um unlike old people like me, um students change careers, not just jobs, but actual careers so much more frequently and they I'm sure they will continue to do that. So, the flexibility for them to um be prepared for a whole host of options, but also change their mind and realize that one may lead to the other. So, um um it's definitely not an eitheror um proposition and I'm happy to see and I know we're going to talk about it in the program to study some um some adjustments in addition >> the two-year college experience and we talk about financial literacy, but when I when I was in the business and personal finance class
065a few weeks ago, students are choosing the two-year college option because they're being financially literate. They have much more financial literacy than I did. It's a free option for some of those baseline classes and they have every intention of transferring to the four-year college, but they're going to get their generate studies or maybe they're not really sure yet what they want to do. They know this is the option. So, there was a student in that class that day that said this class made me refocus and I'm going to go to a community college and get the genet out of the way because I'm not really sure what I want to do. So there's multiple reasons why students are making the decisions that they make and people change careers now three, four, five times. We are
066old, right? We've all been >> there's still time. >> Maybe. Yeah. >> Well, the girl that's in the the bridal shop uh internship like I don't want to do that career. It sounds >> any other comments or anything from our students? >> Okay, great. Thank you. That's a great segue into the next Oh, wait. First, we need an emotion. So, sorry, getting ahead of myself. I would entertain a motion to accept the school improvement plan as presented. >> So moved. >> Second. >> Motion by Miss Ashley and seconded by Miss Fer. Is there anything on discussion hearing? None. All those in favor? >> I opposed. So voted. >> Great segue into the next item on the agenda, which is the uh program of studies. >> This was not on my radar to present recently. So
067second I did I I think I provided you with a copy highlighted in yellow with all of the uh the changes. So I'm going to hit the highlights here. Um the first one being uh we in in the previous copy of the program of studies we had a little blur about and it as you can see the numbers aren't great. Um but we're pivoting a little bit and we Dr. Spoon and I have spent some time uh meeting with UMass. We also met with Bridgewwater uh State University. uh that is not ready to go yet, but I I do think that by next year's program of studies, we'll have some opportunities at Bridgewwater State University as well. Maybe even by the end of uh like for the spring semester of next year. I don't I'm
068not opposed to it. It just wasn't ready at this point. Um but we have partnered with UMass Dartmouth and they are offering a reduced rate for um dual enrollment of $540 for a three credit course. Um so what I am proposing whenever we start proposing budget uh options is to uh reduce our line of virtual high school and offer those opportunities in dual enrollment. So offering free dual enrollment opportunities to our students. Um, Dr. Scoover is anticipating a wonderful problem, which is that many students will take us up on this and perhaps we will need to look at like a scholarship opportunity or an application process for this. I hope that's the problem that we have. Um, right now I just kind of want to get students going on this a little bit. Um, we
069also do anticipate having students creating some type of contract with the students to make sure that once they enroll and start participating in this with the supports that we're going to offer them in the school um that they're going to complete the class because something that we have seen in the past as a as an issue is they enroll in the class then they either don't do the work or drop the class and we paid for the class um and there's no outcome. So, we do anticipate kind of creating a contract and some support around the dual enrollment class um which is why you see it says that it's free it's free of charge if they successfully complete pass the course. Uh and then there is a link to the dual enrollment opportunities that we
070are partnering with UMass Dartmouth over. They are classes that are not in our program space. classes that we do not offer at Somerset Berkeley. Uh but I do think that they're really exciting opportunities. Uh for example, there's intro to criminal justice. So that's a really, you know, we I hear every year three, four, five, sometimes more than that. students who are going to go major in criminal justice. This is an opportunity for them to get their feet wet there with the uh CJS 190 um microeconomics, macroeconomics, elementary French. We don't offer French currently in the school. They could take a French class. Uh climate science obviously that's a kind of an up and cominging cutting edge career path. Um intro to philosophy. So you can scroll through there, but there are uh various uh they
071actually suggested to us principles of sustainability was a class that they've had a lot of success with with the dual enrollment opportunities. So those are the classes that we're going to offer next year. Uh then the SVRHS graduation requirements we changed based on the conversations we've had around the math uh competency determination we changed based on the last competency determination. We may need to pivot on that again after today's conversation. Um and that might need to be a link with all those charts because uh the internship isn't really different. and I just highlighted it because we did uh change some of the wording and those are the actual codes that we used. We're adding some elective opportunities in English that have we have not offered up to this point. So film from page to screen
072and science fiction and mythology. Next year we are offering those obviously as school year options but in the future we for the following year we would anticipate um reducing any of uh those electives even the creative writing work we offer in journalism speech and debate we're talking about um revamping that but those are new electives in social studies uh this was this is in the program of studies last year. I just highlighted it because the offering this year and it's the first time we're offering it is the US involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan is the elective in the special topics in history rotation that we do. So that is the one that's going to be offered next year for the first time. We're also adding advanced placement business and personal finance uh to our program
073of studies next year. We do anticipate in the history department uh in 20 28. I can't believe we're getting that far. Um, also potentially offering an uh AP African-American studies class. So that uh Miss Ferris went to some professional development at Snow College last week and brought us back some information. So that is anticipated for the following year. in business. Going to math, uh we have added computer science classes to the fourth year math potential options that students can take for their fourth year in math. Obviously, they have to get through algebra, geometry, and algebra 2 first, but that is going to be um fourth year option for students. And we are also offering a pre-alggebra class. Um this would be for a select group of students who over the past few years we have
074a more significant number of students coming into our school with some um math deficiencies and we kind of tracked the data and I don't want them coming into Somerset Berkeley having a negative freshman math experience. So we need to meet some of these students where they are. Um I highlighted this and even the numeric code on this. This would not be a class that you could enroll into without um permission from the math department head recommendations potentially from um middle school things like that. You can see it doesn't meet the NCAA requirements. So um but some there are a group of students that need some additional math foundational support and this would be a class that would give them that with the intention that sophomore, junior, and then senior year they would move through algebra
075one, geometry and algebra 2. Again, the added computer science classes, math options, but only as fourth year math options. In science, we have oceanography and marine biology as options for a fourth year science class as well. We do have some students uh that are interested in that. So that came from student interest. Something that I'm really excited to announce in our technology classes is I was approached by uh Bristol Community College and Bristol Community College is willing to create a partnership with us that if students take our TV, media and advanced TV media course uh at Somerset Berkeley that will be considered a successful completion of their COM, their communication 157 class, which is their intro to TV and digital production. class. So, our students will be able to go right into um a practicum
076of advanced TV and digital production if they're attending that school. So, that's a nice option for students. Um Spanish, if we go down on page 30 now, there's a Spanish 2 class that we are going to offer for the AP track. um from students that have taken Spanish at the middle school level or can test into that Spanish 2 class and we are going to keep them together as a co cohort of students I hope for four years with the intention of them being ready to take AP Spanish by the time they are seekers. This class will be taught very differently than a Spanish one or even Spanish 2 um class because we are we are going to be um building off of what they are doing in eighth grade right now or their own
077personal experience with Spanish. Um not that they don't speak Spanish to them in Spanish one and Spanish 2 right now, but this will be full immersion Spanish um speaking by the instructor. Um again with the intention of preparing this cohort of students for um the AP Spanish which we've never been able to offer at some set currently. We've had very high success with it in our virtual high school program. There's always one or two kids that have taken it. We've never been able to get that cohort together. So we're hoping that we can get that to the ground. Thank you. Noticing some questions, comments. Um so for the computer science um would that be available to like say juniors who had already taken algebra one in middle school and started during freshman year and algebra
0782. Yeah, it would be available to them at any point, but it would also be working option. Now, a student that was taking that, I would I would as a student's guidance counselor to take that computer science class and go into a pre-calculus or statist. I think that was sort of my question, like what if they took the computer science class but prior to the senior year, would it still count as the fourth year of math even though it was simultaneous? Okay, >> I have some questions. Sorry, I have a few questions about dual enrollment. I'm so happy to see this. First of all, let me say >> um >> it's I think it's a great um step forward in the right direction to give our kids more options and um preparation and as I
079think you said it's a great place to to try things out. Um just a couple of questions about the logistics for the arrangement with UMass Dartmouth. So at this in this version um the the con the agreement if you will would be for um 15 students could take a course free of charge if they successfully complete it. So is that like if we had 15 students who wanted to take this one and this one like or is 15 for the year? >> 15 seats. Okay. Is it says to take the course? So I just if I were reading that I might think >> 15 for each course. >> Yeah. On the >> um at the top of page five. >> So it sounds like we have 15 seats. >> Yes. >> And they can be
080spread across any of the courses. >> Is that right? Okay. >> So I I anticipate we I would love for us to have the problem of what happens when we have 20. Right. >> Um and there are obviously I'm sure you've already thought about ways to address that. Um I would I would encourage us I mean and you know that you can do a first come first serve whatever but um I would hope that we would also prioritize maybe some of our traditionally underrepresented students. So a student who might you know be a first generation college student or a student who might be low income or a student who might be um in another um >> demographic. >> A demographic. Thank you. um or maybe a student who hasn't ever taken an AP course, right?
081So, and so that dual enrollment is um you know, you don't want to have your 15 spots go to somebody, you know, my my son, you take all these APs like that, you know, so that we would maybe um prioritize those seats if we're if there's more interest than 15 um strategically to better serve some of those students. Um, that's one comment. And then I wonder if there's conversation moving um forward about even exploring like con contract classes with UMass Dartmouth or Bridgewwater. Um, I know that can take a while to develop, but um because at this point we're talking about it's basically extra. It's in addition to a full course load that they're already taking. It's probably asynchronous. They will have a UMass Dartmouth transcript. >> What I would love to get to like
082the following year is this would be kind of where our study halls come from for for seniors or even underassment at that point because if we have the semester based classes if instead of study hall, we don't really need study hall now anywhere because we can enroll in classes. But if we're looking for um an option, it would be you're dual enrolling and now enrolling and now you have that time in the library that's focused that we're giving supports to our students um on top of the supports that they're getting from UMass Dartmouth. It's another thing I like about UMass Dartmouth is that they want to partner with us. They'll be in communication with us. It won't just be kind of like virtual high school. We have a little conversations with a little conversation with
083but not a lot. Um, we'll be able to track the students progress in the classes. So, I agree with you and I do think we need we need to sit down and come up with a an application, so to speak, for I'm interested in doing this and I want one of 15 spots. Um, I also think we can offer we can offer as many spots as we want for $540. If a family wanted to pay for a dual enrollment class, I don't think master would be a close to that. Um, but there's only so many seats. Obviously, we were going to as a district. So, I hope we have that problem and we've already talked about like creating an application. So when we do our signups in February, you'll know a little better, I think,
084who's interested. And >> I don't know if you would suggest this, but I might suggest we put some kind of caveat. Um there may be or there will be an application process just to cover ourselves. We could let everybody if we don't have that problem, but if we do, just say >> I think often the colleges themselves have the an application. So it's not an unusual. So an additional component from us wouldn't be unusual. And I think if and I think moving toward even um because this could be 15 spots, but this could they're semesterized obviously. So this would they could do this for fall or spring. I would love to push put lots of pressure on our friends at UMass Dartmouth to um look to at partnering with us for um contracting with courses
085which can be really affordable and so you can get the entire course um and you could have 20 students you know for instance like maybe to a way to start ASL or something like that a program that you want to get off the ground. So, I think this is a great start. Um, and I think it's something we can definitely build off of. Um, >> I think just to jump in on that, I think it also offers a a wonderful opportunity for some of the smaller schools around we're one of the larger high schools, but certainly compared to the urban school, we're not, but um it might be difficult for us to purchase an entire class. Um, but maybe our surrounding friends uh would also be interested in purchasing it together. Maybe it's something where
086several of us can can team up and purchase classes for our students in schools that I've talked with. But you know there is some interest to possibly do this. >> That's great. Um I had a question about I'm happy to see the um AP editions as well. I think those are great. Um, >> I think that AP addition to it, I didn't say it before, but I think it hits a new demographic of students, too. And I think it gives a nice option for a student business and personal finances. It's different than a science class or maybe an English class. So, I'm hoping that we hit a new group of students to try their first class. And I think too the the 86% of passing score is so impressive. I mean it's really impressive and
087um I commend the obviously the students but obviously their teachers for that's a very high level passing rate. But I think also you temper that with we want students to know that and it's again it's not an eitheror but that it's okay to try it and if they get a one or a two all the research it suggests that they're still more likely to be successful in in a college class just having had the experience even if they don't capture the credit on the exam. And so I think some of the choices you mentioned about the business, personal finance, um some of the ones that the students mentioned like human geo, some of um some of those courses are might um entice students who might typically be a little hesitant to take um in the
088African-American history. So I like that mix because I think it does maybe um might encourage some students to try it that haven't before. So I think that's really smart. I'm happy to see that >> it would be nice to offer courses too that we can begin introducing in students first half of their high school experience because right now it's so there's a lot of competition between the junior and senior years for classes there isn't really that much room left in their schedules to do so. So we can begin to introduce some classes this year or something like that that would be the I think the we have to move >> or you can start off in a dual enrollment early on and then move to an AP. So there's I think there's a lot of
089great um options there. I have one question about well one um technical housekeeping question is I think and we'll get to this when we talk about policy but because the graduation requirements are also in the program of studies I think we may want to include the verbiage of not just the um 28 credits of math and four courses but including one in the senior year um which is mass that is mass core and I think that's our intention But >> I think math course >> I could be wrong. I thought it was four years of math that the higher ed requirement is the fourth year. >> I think so. >> Right. I I think the intent >> the intent is four years. I I think you know we've talked about admissibility to like you know
090you need pre-calc to get into Eisenberg other things like that but I also think if you have a gap of no math even you know even if a student is very accelerated like I wouldn't recommend a student to double up on math their junior year and then not have math senior year >> because now you have this big gap. >> Um so you know we can talk about we talk about policy but I I I think that's I would I would add that that would be my preference. Um, and then two other questions. Sorry. Um, for the Spanish, I'm so excited to see AP Spanish a pathway to that. I think that's really important. I'm wondering, I know I think Somerset Kada 8 offers Spanish >> brand new this year. >> Brand new. Okay. Berkeley
091used to have it and I believe we cut it. >> We had to cut everything else in Berkeley. Um, but I'm wondering if also there would be maybe some specific outreach or targeting to like maybe some native speakers. >> That's what I mean about testing it is there would be an option for students to to place into class as well if you haven't taken >> they could do their own independent studies. >> So yeah and that's great. And would that would that be something that you do? You talked about cohorting it. So, you're talking about coming in as a freshman, like a placement, and then they would sort of be okay. >> Yeah, we we want my our vision for this. Um, Mr. Luc is really spearheading this. Um, and what's been really nice is
092the teacher that is at site school right now came from like she was part of our uh department last year and we have kept her a member of the department. So, Mr. Gon actually oversees her as the content coordinator down there. So, we've been in constant communication with her. She knows exactly what's happening at the the high school. So, we kind of partnered with her and she knows the expectations, but we're really kind of working on when these students get here, them being told we're going to schedule them all in one class together. um but leave room for that student that might transfer in from another school sophomore year and test into this class. Why why prevent a student from an opportunity, right? But I I we we have like a vision and a focus
093for this. Um there's going to be parent outreach much like we do with the AP history program for freshmen. We we want to do a little bit of outreach for parents so that they understand what this class is going to look like. um because it will be taught much like the AP US history program is but from Spanish so that we make sure that we get to the AP Spanish. I think as long as the understanding is there, wherever they come from, wherever their background is, you would be given the option, which is why I believe it says something about your permission from the contact. That's not should be Yeah, prerequisite is the successful completion of Spanish one or placement test, student recommendation by grade 8 Spanish teacher and or content format. So there's the
094option. >> Okay. And I would I would um and I know you do this anyway, but I think in that case too the communication to especially Berkeley because there is no Spanish program there the set that sending school to make sure that they're aware as they're registering whatever that they could um elect to take that as through a placement because they're not going to get a recommendation right um would be a thing we would want to make sure we communicate with uh he and Um, I'm sorry. I just have one more two questions. One, for math, we the pre-alggebra I um think I absolutely hear what you say about filling that need and we're confident that they would be able to still meet the competency determination, right? They'd still be able to get the 20
095credits and the sequence could get them to algebra 2, right? >> That would be the expectation. >> Great. My last question is or maybe a suggestion to think about is for the electives that are being added. Um I know you said you know you want to sort of go fast to go slow in terms of introducing semesterized electives but I I wonder um if they're those that are being added are going to be offered in the next year in the fall as fullyear courses. Is that the intention? The only one that is going to be offered next year that's new um is the potential for the oceanography and marine biology. Um but we did have some conversations today too that we we want to make sure and and I know I I apologize I wasn't
096at the last meeting. I think there was some conversation around this um with our half year like the half year versus the full year class to meet the requirement and the marine biology and oceanography. We're trying to give students another opportunity for that third year of science if they >> don't hit that by senior year. So the worry would be if we offer those as semester based classes only take one of you know we need some kind of option for like the student that just wants to take the marine biology, just wants to take the oceanography or needs to take both to hit that science requirement. So those are just things that again we're we're trying to work through all that. Um but many of these like like I said the first year electives that
097we have right now we would be looking for the following year to be thinking those semester particularly like the art classes history classes the business classes those types of things. Um I did also like there were a lot of questions that we had last week when we put this together. So >> we can talk on that. >> So like >> we will have a concrete plan for you over the course of the next um few months. My fear though is if we were to do these semester based classes next year, we're delaying this program of studies. We're delaying the scheduling process. We won't get won't get to any of that until historically we have scheduled all of our students by February vacation. We have a schedule ready to go. Students get their um would need
098to pay for Aspen. We need some kind of consultation as to how to do this because we are not prepared to create a schedule like that. So there will be a significant cost for that. >> So like this the film course the page to screen that elective and the science fiction those those are new to this program of studies. Those are new courses electives >> new but old. We put them in the program of studies last year. They didn't get didn't run. Oh, okay. Got it. Okay. Okay. >> Take two. >> Got it. Okay. That makes sense to me. I was thinking that if we're adding in electives and they were going to be a ye for a full year and then revert to a semester, I would say pull the band-aid off and use
099that as a you know, you sort of figure out what the some of the um issues are as you move to some semesterization in the master schedule. So, but um >> and they were there. They just we didn't create a writing ramp for the first time and journalism speech debate resurrected years ago. We had journalism. >> I think that once semester classes are in place, I think you're going to end up being able to run more electives more frequently because there's there's going to be so much more flexibility. Students can take double the electives that they currently take. So I think that'll help some of these classes that do have some interest not they don't reach that threshold that justifies you know that course to run and and we understand the financial impact of running
100classes with only two or three kids and we can't afford to do that unfortunately. So but still we still want to support student choice and voice. >> There will need to be understanding too that they have to pair up to something. We're not going to live in a world of study halls because we can't because we need time on learning and sometimes >> students struggle with these are the only offerings >> that back up to you know that first semester. So second semester these these are your options and sometimes we love the option sometimes we don't love the options and sometimes we have to live with >> what's available >> and you know >> in the middle of January we be deciding again, oh, I like these classes. I won't change my classes. There's there's
101not a lot of things. So, >> that's what college is like too though, right? So, >> and but also that >> I understand that that is a culture shift. Yeah. Here. >> Yeah. That's a >> it will prepare them for >> Yes. But it'll knit together nicely too with an expansion of dual enrollment because you could you can take a you know a and I think once students see the benefit of that right and then then maybe that dual enrollment as you mentioned could be done in a study even though it's not you know that's when you're getting >> I don't think it would be considered study anymore either which I think is a really cool thing because there would be time >> right if you put it in the catalog I'm excited about the
102dual point. I think there's a lot of opportunity. I know you mentioned, you know, collaborating bringing them here 20 students. Um, with our internship program, I'd love to see like our education internship students also do enroll in ed oneonone class so that they're already on their way to become educators, which we all know we need. So, I think there's a lot the more I learn about it, the more excited I am about it. I heard um Department of Education might be a little more amenable to early college opportunities for um schools like us. So, I'm hopeful that that is an opportunity that we participate in as well because our teachers are very interested in that. They've been interested in that for years. Just not It also might be a great opportunity as well. You talked
103about students having interest in American Sign Language, which I think is such a great option. We have it at my school, but it's also can be very challenging to staff. >> Um, very and so, but if you have a partnership with Bristol, you start with Bridgewwater. um it might be a way to either through dual enrollment or some sort of part-time arrangement. You can have that option for students here. Um and it is recognized, it does meet, it is recognized by the board of higher ed. Um does meet language requirement and you sometimes see students flourish in that type of a language. It's also great. It's not just language but also deaf culture. >> Um and there are lots of job opportunities there too. So um um or perhaps our friends at the collaborative might
104be good partners. So there's lots of um that could be an internship opportunity. So I think that um the students identified a really great opportunity there too. And um by moving in this direction, I think we'll be able to add things like that in in a short amount of time that could really um address those interests. So I'm glad you brought that up. >> Yes. I'm sorry. They c they knocked me out of my Gmail. So, I need to step >> timed out. I'm working too many hours. What this tells me was an online course. >> Yeah. >> I was like jealous of her cuz I like, oh, it's my first class. I was like, I don't take any of this. And she was like, look what I learned in ASO. I'm like, okay, I
105get it. It's great. Sorry. Those are all my questions. So sorry, but great work. I'm so happy to see this as this is I think it's great progress. >> Very exciting. >> No, she answered my questions while you were asking your questions. So, >> all right. >> You just covered all the bases for us, Miss Andrew. >> I appreciate that. >> Um Um Okay. Um let's see. I would then entertain a motion to approve the 2627 program of studies um as presented. >> So moved. >> Second. >> Motion by Miss Ashley and second by Miss Ber. Anything further on discussion? Hearing none. All those in favor? I >> opposed. So voted. Thank you so much. For a long time. Um okay. Next item on the agenda. Um, recap of November open house. >> You thought
106you thought you were off. Uh, and there's more. >> You're taking the brunt of the work. >> This is what happens when you miss a meeting, though, right? It's almost winter break. We're almost there. >> When you miss one meeting, right? All right. Open house. >> Open house is always a really fun night. Um, we had well I we had at least 200 families here. I can't tell you that I I took an exact count. We had at least 200 families here through Somerset and from Berkeley. Um, for school choice, we had a lot of students this year. Uh, I I know reach out to to Miss McCarl and myself saying, you know, when's your open house? When's your open house? Um, we had students from seventh grade here. So it it's very interesting to
107see like the the tide turning a little bit on there's a lot of options now right so there's a lot of opportunity um for students and I think students are weighing their options um you know I I applaud that. So um Mr. Jlo I will tell you historically has he's a fan favorite because he actually a homework assignment for those students. Uh they come and they have to they used to only have to take a picture with their periodic table or something outside the performing arts center. He upped the game this year. They actually had to take a picture with the principal. So running all over the building trying to find me. Uh once he wouldn't leave until he found me. It was like 7:35 and he the mother came in. She could you just
108take one more picture? So kudos to uh veter. I don't even really know the guy. Yeah, he and uh Mr. Sieber out of it. So, uh students asked really good questions. I appreciate all my content coordinators. And then I do appreciate a lot of our elective teachers came to showcase the programming we have. the the the computer science club um sorry cyber club uh our art department our fine arts department did an art gallery that night so that we showcased what we do in the fine performing arts the band was here playing so uh all of I I don't think there was one coach that didn't show up so we really had a really nice um I I always call it the choose your own adventure instead of doing the old school um tours that
109we used to do. We we we offered that. We had we had probably 50 big buddies here willing to give either small group or individual tours, but we also kind of opened it up to do do what you do what you want to do here. We gave um we had the big buddy station. We gave everybody a map of the school, the room numbers, where everybody was located. And so for the student that you know might have three older brothers here and this is the fourth child and maybe just needs to hit the highlights um or the the parent who has a first child here and is really looking for what the opportunities are. All the content were here uh answering questions. Griffy the comforts office here. All our guidance counselors and our um social
110emotional learning staff were here. So it was a it was a really nice overview and we had a lot of positive comments. So, it was a nice event. Um, we did have some questions as to why it was so early. We felt like we needed to be competitive with the other schools that were out there. We used to do it in at the end of January. Um, but we moved it up to be more competitive with the other schools. So, that's those deadlines are now. >> Yeah. Right. >> Thank you. >> No, thank you very much. Okay. Um, next on the agenda, uh, Thanksgiving football game. Dr. Spoonover, do you want to >> Your turn. >> Uh, so actually last night the, uh, Swansea school committee met and they had a similar item on their
111agenda. Um, I'd say this started, uh, was pretty good at Hulcom. He and I have talked several times about this uh since he became superintendent a little over a year ago, year and a half ago. Um and then we he conversations right around this Thanksgiving just uh expressing interest uh to bring back this traditional uh highly valued game between our two communities. uh and from what I understand in the Swansea community uh over the past three years uh there's been a growing senate that uh they wanted to also reestablish this uh tradition. Uh so anyway uh super and I have talked uh we are having a meeting later on this week uh which will consist of couple of our committee members uh Dr. Mr. Francis and myself along with our counterparts uh from Swansea case
112uh and to really talk about bringing back this uh this Thanksgiving football game. So just wanted to share that with you and we'll certainly update you after we have that. >> Thank you. anything you want to >> Mr. Austin's really excited. >> Is this set in stone? Mr. Austin needs to know, is this going to definitely happen because we we can't toy with people's emotions. People are very emotional about this. It's true. >> It It sounds like everyone is uh I don't want to ever speak in certainties. I can't guarantee what the district is going to say, but we are certainly on board with this and from my conversations with superintendent. Uh so so I am uh extremely optimistic that this will happen for us and certainly we also uh Central High School has been
113a good partner for us for the past three years. jumped in to fill a hole, a needed hole for us. And we certainly don't want to um you know, we want to give them the same uh time and respect that um yeah, they was missing a few years ago. So anyway, to your point, there's a lot of certainty, but probably I can't say a guarantee until Mr. um Patron has agreed uh to uh work with me um to meet um later this week. So >> excellent. >> Cares a little bit about football. So >> yeah, >> I was very dismayed when the Thanksgiving game went away and I hope it can come back. Um but you know, speaking with Mr. soon over. You know, I I hope to, you know, we as both committees and
114staff, you know, have some diligent conversations about, you know, not uprooting this whole thing without giving both communities the proper amount of time because when this happened three years ago, I mean, >> it was a a lot of a lot of drama, for lack of of the word, I think, in both schools. I think there were people at Case who didn't want it to happen. Um, and certainly a lot of people here who didn't want it to happen. Um, I'm personally friends with people who played football here, you know, 30 years ago and had kids here and we're looking forward to the continuation of this tradition and unfortunately it didn't happen. Um but I think it's very important that we we try to bring it back and you know erase this small time where we
115didn't have this long-standing tradition because I think tradition in football is a very very good thing to have. So hopefully we can all come together and um find some common ground and you know common ground for the future too. So if it does depart down the road, it's a little more amicable than last time to everyone. So I I think it'll hopefully turn out well without overpromising. >> You'll be the first to know, George. >> Um great. Okay. Um moving on the next item in the agenda in the superintendent report. um first to discuss uh Massachusetts proposed graduation requirements. >> So before I I jump into that, if I can just give a few student shout outs. >> Um this time of the year, we always have our senior and junior music festival uh announcements.
116Uh so I just wanted to share uh Ray Warell uh violin um audition for and uh made the Southeastern Massachusetts Educator Association's Junior District. Uh we had uh four members with the Senior Music Festival, Levi Reposo who I believe is all state uh Benjamin, Patrick Curtis, and Vanessa Taris. And for the first time, we had several winning competitions. Uh Noah Jones, uh first place. We had two honorable mentions, Max Kelly and Con. So, congratulations to all of those students for their recent uh music accolades. Uh on Friday, this past Friday, Dr. Cross and I do every December as part of our South Coast collaborative uh December meeting we uh which was a special one. It's always hosted or in recent years. Uh each school gets to recognize uh its top students. Uh so Dr. Cer
117and I were accompanied by Braden Silva and his parents uh and Braden at that time uh received the Galaw scholarship scholarship through the South Post educational collaborative uh Dr. was able to share so many wonderful things about Braden uh gathering comments from his teachers and sharing those with everyone. So, it was an incredible event to hear all of his uh students stories from uh the 11 or so member districts of the South Coast Collaborative. In the week before that, uh Dr. Rose also recognized 65 of our seniors uh for the John and Abigail Adams scholarships. So, that was uh December 5th. Uh so, we had that recognition. So, congratulations to all of those students. It's always a great time of the year where we tend to have some of these uh awards and recognition opportunities
118for students. >> All right. So, now uh jumping into the graduation requirements. Uh I shared some information with you um in a memo. I will try to go through this u quickly. I know had a lot of presentations tonight already, but just to provide an overview of the graduation requirements that were proposed on December 1st. And we knew that this was coming in December. And then all of a sudden on Monday, December 1st, I remember receiving a a text from Dr. in the morning saying the governor was announcing the graduation requirements today. Uh and it just came up so quickly. We knew it was going to be the first week or two of that actually that day. So anyway, here we are two weeks later. Um the graduation requirements that they they start this uh
119really thorough 100 plus page document uh that the state uh provided. I believe I shared that with you. But the foundation for their work is the state vision of the graduate which was uh released several months ago. And you can see those six items on the left and I include the same image that we've already seen a couple of times tonight with the radar vision of the graduate. And when you if you look at someone at Berkeley um vision of the graduate and really the description under what it means to be resilient, what it means to be academic, uh you will see things like uh problem solving and effective communication and collaboration. And under digital citizenship, it it sort of combines two of the uh the state uh components here. self-aware navigators and the responsible
120global citizens. So there really is a pretty significant overlap between what the state is saying uh should be the basis of local school districts visions of the graduate and what our own vision of the graduate is. And just as a u if you recall the vision of the graduate is started five years ago uh six years ago in u winter of 2020 just prior to co uh we had a community event and had lots of input from stakeholders who were there and then um everyone knows what happened a few months after that but then later on that year uh Dr. Rford um had a number of focus groups too. It was probably 100 plus students, faculty, parents, supervisor. >> So going through that almost that same process that we um did with the community members
121back in that in January 2020. Um, and it was just a really light between what the community, what the adults were saying with is this is what we expect from our graduates and what the students were saying. So anyway, that's that's where Raver uh getting back to Massachusetts uh graduation requirements. There are essentially six main buckets uh components uh to these graduation um recommendations and they are still just initial recommendations. Uh the first one is is really the coursework. So uh challenging course work and program study. Uh a couple of ways of demonstrating mastery. This is connected u partly to end of course uh I'm sorry the competency determination but it would be through end of course exams as well as capstones andor portfolios. Uh the my career and academic plan is my cap. uh
122a FAFSA or NASPA completion required completion of those uh the financial literacy uh course that we've already talked about several times this evening and seals of distinction. So just kind of walking through all of these, excuse me. Uh so for the uh the coursework is really aligning the high school uh coursework with what the uh requirements are to attend higher ed in Massachusetts. So it's aligning with the higher ed admission standards. Essentially what that means and what uh des andor the governor's office have called is a mass plus. Uh so we've talked about massport. probably know that up until now the two areas where we've been short is uh not requiring four years of math. We've now uh boxed with the class of uh two years of world language which we going to reference tonight.
123Uh but then the plus comes in with this uh one year of art would be a uh is a proposed requirement as well as this financial literacy. Financial literacy is is sort of in its own bucket but it is would be a required course. Uh so you and then a couple places here. Um so the impact as I just said already um aligned with new line with the four years of path beginning with our current sophomores uh world language requirement um would need to be implemented we currently have I don't know the exact number somewhere around 75% of our students uh give or take are already completing two years of a language the same language uh so it's not a heavy lift but there is there would be um some changes there uh that we
124would need to phase it uh art I don't know the numbers here but to say that one year uh requirement for art uh depends on what the state defines as an art I assume it would be um performing arts visual arts um music um I would assume anything under u performance would satisfy by that requirement. Uh an overwhelming uh percentage of our students are completing one year of art already. I don't know what that exact percentage is, but that would be a lift. Uh as Isabella was uh saying earlier this evening, we already have financial literacy is coupled with that semester based civics class. Uh that class is more heavily weighted towards civics than it is financial literacy. Excuse me. So there would be a uh we would need to do some work to uh
125ensure that financial literacy takes on a little bit more uh than what we currently do and as well as waiting to figure out if the state is going to release financial literacy standards uh for which we fix. Now there is a concern and and uh as you I think know I'm on the superintendent association's executive committee. Uh I'm also on the the association's uh graduates with the think tank. So, we reviewed this information prior to the release and we've provided our own feedback and I believe this was also addressed in the uh the state's document uh from the governor's office that there is a concern about uh having more requirements reduces students opportunity for which gets back to the importance of semester based classes so that we can uh address the the additional causes here
126while still maintaining the ability for students to personalize their coursework to take classes that are of high interest to them and to prepare themselves for the path that they want after high school. Uh also requiring additional courses does make it more difficult for students to retake classes. That's where you know the state leads by these setbacks. So if a student does not pass English 10 now they have to retake that along with um junior in uh English that takes away the ability somewhere else. So it just tightens the schedule. So there is that concern but uh I think having the semester classes help alleviate uh that as a primary concern. uh end of course assessments. Uh Governor Hilly stated in her presentation that this would ultimately allow the state to phase out at least the
127grade 10 MCAST test. Uh so there would be uh some dis uh state uh design administered and assessed final exam. uh these would be in certain courses courses haven't been specifically identified yet but I think the the logical assumption would be freshman English sophomore English algebra one geometry a science whether it was a standard science or they allow you know an intro to physics and chemistry and biology and most likely US history as well. So really those required classes uh that are not part of the competency determination. So anyway, so they would be these end of course exams uh to allow students to demonstrate their mastery. So eliminate endcasts single tests introduce uh a bunch of smaller exams. >> Can I can I jump in with a question? >> Can I have a cutting question?
128Have have our friends considered um that when students take the grade 10 ELA MS in March, right, that we don't get those results until the following fall. So if there first of all, it seems, sorry, I'm just going to editorialize such a blatant end around the um ballot question. First of all, like it's not even that's clearly what they're trying to do here. I they're also taking local control away, which that's another problem. But I'm also think how are they going to get how are they going to score these exams in time? Kids need transcripts. So, how how are you going you're going to give them an end of I take algebra 2 and I have to take this state test. How do I know if when I pass the next year? How does this
129see like it seems the amount of time it takes for them to to deliver results on one ELA test, one math test, and one science test is months and months. I'm sure you've all thought, but I just want to say this for those who are watching on television that this is preposterous. And I have no idea how they're going to admit how they're possibly going to hold schools responsible when they I sorry. >> So it it um there are lots of potential problems and concerns with this and that is one of the ones I I wrote that in my feedback when I was completing the survey for the association. uh this was specifically addressed or when the executive committee met with Commissioner Martinez last week um because we know that let's just say on the
130second to last day of school student takes the final exam that afternoon that teacher needs to have that grade in the grade book before they leave for the summer 24 hours later. >> And we know to your point that the state has a pretty slow turnaround time. So, this needs a almost instantaneous uh result when the student hits submit. In order to do that, and I'm sure AI can can help um assess, but I don't know if that's the right thing that they should be doing. um unless it is a multiplechoice assessment. That is really the only way that when you click submit, like for instance, I took my MCPO course recently. At the end of the day, I took the test and I had my resulting multiple choice test. Um, we want to have
131students, >> we've been making strides to go the other way to have performance-based assessments. Our world language department, we talked about there's an entire speaking portion to their final assessments to make make they can speak the language and and your questions were exactly what the content coordinators have been asking me is is this an addition to a final exam is this grading are we getting rid of final exams because you can't possibly put this on a transcript like what's happening and I do I don't know because this >> sounds like a halfbaked authentic assessment piece that would not feasible and frankly I mean if they're if our teachers are teaching the standards right and benchmarking exams are so much better you know for assessing growth over the course of an exam the whole point was
132to get away from a one how a student performs on one day >> and now this does the okay I'm just my mind is so just keep going I could be this This is so bad. We're all on the same page. So it's true. >> So on the on the next slide just impact SB. Uh so we already one we already have and of course assessments. Uh so it is a practice that our teachers and our students are used to. Uh I don't know what the impact would be exams which is another established practice here. But if the end of course exams are truly a comprehensive exam uh covering all the standards uh for the school year, what does that mean to someone like so exam uh and the concern? So the next uh next
133component for demonstrating mastery is tax and portfolios. And so this gets into that piece that we just talked about. So this is where students get to really demonstrate the competencies in the skills not necessarily in the content content would be through the end of course exams but then all those other skills that we know are probably more valuable to students that the content knowledge uh would could be demonstrated through a capstone or a portfolio. This is just that culminating project research paper performance that allows the students to to demonstrate their learning and apply it in some effective way. Uh we here at Somerset Berkeley and yes uh so we already have about 30% this this year about 30% of our seniors are already involved in a capstone project. Uh so we started implementing capstone projects
134through our department several years ago. We currently have almost just about 15 students here this year. So 20% of our class we have another 10% of our uh students taking a capstone class through project lead. The um medical interventions and biomedical innovation class is is really a capstone class. Uh so we also have where they're they're completing a uh research based project with I think a presentation at the end of this. So anyway so all 30% of our students already fulfilling the capstone piece of it. We talk about portfolios. I think we talked about portfolio haven't we? Yes we did. Right. Um and when Dr. was talking about uh LEA and the conversations that we had with them about um introducing a portfolio comport there my cap uh software. Um it does uh as a
135I came from a district where and as you know Rhode Island has for many years now uh close to 20 years has had a graduation requirement where there is a cap. I'm used to this. I've seen kids uh through project really excel demonstrate what they've learned. I'm I'm a huge pro but also see you have 200 250 there's a significant staffing require or just oversight of that it takes essentially a person to oversee and manage if if it's done well and you have mentors for these capstone kids might be doing some work through not necessarily mentorship but work with that mentor outside of school hours and and maybe if there is a portfolio there's a lot of formation So we talked about unfunded mandates before. So we don't know and if this is happening uh
136that would require some staffing and is the state too. Again the other concerns about the the software and uh management storage of these portfolios. But with portfolios too we also know the research uh and I'm a big fan of John Hen's research. the number one um factor in his student self-reported grades. That is the highest influencer uh on all on his list of all the things that he has to report. And it's not necessarily portfolios, but with self-reported grades, portfolios allow students to self assess, to set goals, though there's a strong correlation between portfolios and self-reporting. Uh so there is value to that as well that you know benefits the students. Um this is u what we've already uh talked about earlier and just the note at the bottom we're already looking to transition already
137in the process of transition from to the uh product. Uh I think the one that's cons uh that's uh resulted in the most um immediate push back anyway is the FAFSA uh requirement. Um it would require uh or it would have what they're saying is a simple opt for families. Um but to require students to complete the FAFSA and uh to have that filtering through if it's our guidance department. Uh I don't know how many families would be would want to share their personal financial information um with the school department. Um obviously they can opt out but then there are some families who also need the assistance and would value the assistance. So it just it's going to be interesting to see uh what happens with this and and again what is uh what's the
138burden on our counselors to help u coordinate this work and why is it a high school responsibility not a higher red responsibility when it's there lots of questions with that. The last one I and I glossed over financial literacy. Financial literacy is its own but it's it's really uh the value of I think that was the one through uh surveys with various stakeholders the one that most people are saying yes we need our students to exit high school having a strong financial literacy background with financial literacy background uh improve credit scores and all kinds of positive impacts on their adult lives. Uh so we're already uh we're already set you know going down that path and we will make some changes to enhance what we already offer. But the last one the seals of distinction
139the state right now offers a seal of bi literacy. They're looking to add several other seals of distinction for students who uh to recognize students for achievement in attainment beyond or in specific areas. Someone wants to reference our seals literacy uh an academic arts seal for students in advancement course dual enrollment for the college uh a civic knowledge seal and uh a career tech students chapter 74 uh programs. So uh the timeline uh by the end of June 2026 the final recommendations are supposed to be uh given to the governor and announced. Uh I would say govern commissioner shared with us last week that he expects to release more information to superintendent uh hopefully in January. Um and one of the components uh that deputy commissioner uh Kurt who was also there was talking about
140the competency determination and um sharing that understanding that we're in the process. Every school district is approving the competency determinations last month and this month the December 31st deadline and we should know for how many years that CP requirement will be valid. Uh, in other words, what class will these proposed graduation standards begin? And you know, no specific time frame was referenced, but it appears that this wouldn't go into effects. So, we're looking at several years before the full implementation of this, but there's no guarantee to that. as we've already established tonight. You never know what the state is going to do, but at least that's the feeling is that it's not going to happen. You know, it's not certainly not going to happen for next year's class or even the class after that. It
141could be maybe the current second or eighth graders. Um hopefully if not even more than that. Uh so let's see. Uh next steps we need to look at regardless. I think we're uh modern world language uh having the two-year requirement. Um so we'll look to uh develop implementation on that. We discuss some changes in my cap structure as well as creating those semester based classes to allow that flexibility. So that's really kind of sums up where we are right now. There's so much more information that needs to be shared uh and I know the states on a graduation council time frame to have that that work finalized over the next six months. >> Thank you. >> Any questions on that right now? >> Okay. Next on the agenda, we have discussion on the artificial intelligence
142policy. >> I just got kicked out of my >> reading's taking too long. >> Uh so I I shared with you just a draft AI policy that we've created. We've had a team in place for actually a little over a year now. When we first went to this is a team from Thump and Homes Berkeley. A group of us uh first went to a program at MIT for the day of AI. Uh and we started really working on uh surveying staff last spring uh as well as trying to figure out what are the next steps that we should do in terms of uh is it going to be a formal policy more guidance for our staff and our students. Uh so what we've done is uh we we've used excuse me two weeks I'm still
143trying to get over this um using the AI guidance from Desi uh that was released this past summer uh to create our own policy and what you have is that draft policy and I think it was a really u I think it's it serves our purposes really well the teachers who are on the team and we have teachers and administrators from uh from both districts Uh but the uh sort of guiding principles uh section it really lays out the foundation of why we're doing this work uh why why AI is both uh important to teach and learn but also understanding why we need safeguards. Uh so anyway you you have that policy it's not for your consideration or approval just yet. I just wanted to share with you that uh I think right after the
144new year the uh joint policy committee will will need to review this and and bring it to you in January for the first week. >> Thank you. Um any questions about that? Great. Um next in the agenda under staffing updates. >> Yeah, that's one resation uh two resations to share with you. our speech language pathologist, Miss Lawrence, as well as one of our professionals, uh, reference. >> Thank you. >> Okay. Next on the agenda under policy, we have policy subcommittee report. Guess that's me because I'm the only one here. We had a meeting which actually we'll be meeting again in January at our next we had a new group that came to us that for international students um that is interested in working with us. Uh but we are going to take a look at
145the policy because there are some on there that we haven't used in years. Uh so I think it's time to update it. We were talking about maybe making some suggestion as to how long they would remain before we're looking at it again to for new people. So, and then we just uh talked a little bit about the ones that are on here now. So, and the reason for our which one is it? Somerset changed one. So, that was one uh public input. Correct. Yep. That's one of the reasons that's on there. Some changed theirs. We did not change ours. So, it's just taking Somerset public schools out of ours and leaving it as just Somerset Berkeley. But I don't know if anybody has questions on anything in particular, but um okay. If not, then um
146why don't we I would uh we can take the um first readings together. So, I would entertain a motion to approve the first reading of the following policies. School Food and Nutrition Meal Modifications Policy EFBA. This is new. Uh homeschooling policy IHBG, this is an amendment. Um and policy um IKF graduation requirements, which is just a short edit, an amendment. >> Make a motion. >> Second. >> Motion by Mr. Pnac, seconded by Miss Ashley. Anything on discussion hearing? None. All those in favor? I oppose. So voted. >> Thank you. Um next on the agenda policies for a second reading, we have the competency determination which is an amendment and public participation. So no public participation was amended just to >> take some basically take some out. >> Um can I just ask a clarifying question
147on competency determination because I feel like I feel like I don't understand something. So um so today according to Desessie so for competency determination we are able we are permitted to use MCCAST but it can't be the sole determinant and that's why we have this or we are not permitted to use it. >> We can but it is not the primary So if so if I'm a student if I take grade 10 like say net you know current sophomores and I take my grade 10 ELA and math and I get exceeding expectations on both then is that competency determination or it's that and and the coursework >> they have to have passed the class >> they have to pass the CL >> they should have already passed the first final assessment so that the MCAST
148wouldn't matter. But if we haven't by the time they graduated and hit the final examination competency determination, the MCCAST would be the backup plan. >> It's like the secondary. So, if we look at it in terms of the timeline of events, it's how they actually happen and and let's let's take a freshman taking algebra 1 who that take geometry as a sophomore. Uh they're not taking MCCAST until spring of their sophomore year, not getting the results we just established until months later. You know, they're not finding out until fall of their junior year, say, but they will have uh that student will have taken algebra one grade nine taken a final exam at the end of grade nine. If they pass the course and pass the final exam, they've they've achieved competency determination for algebra
149one. Then they take as a sophomore geometry. If they pass the course and pass the final exam, uh they now at this point they just took MCCAST like two months ago, three months ago, but those results are still down the road. they pass the course and pass uh the final exam. They've achieved their competency determination for math totally by having the algebra one in the in the geometry. We've also establish or we will be establishing a portfolio. So if a student for some reason in that geometry class does not pass the final exam, if they've also um maintained or they can demonstrate what they've learned through the year, then that portfolio component uh will also uh be a factor in determining if they've met that m if they've mastered the course. No, even down the
150now we get the uh the MCAT results coming out and if for some reason a student was able to meet the expectations for geometry or for for math in general but did not meet one of those other expectations through all the the safety nets that we have and demonstrations then that MCCAST can come in and play a supporting role to say okay well you didn't you weren't successful for whatever reason on the final exam that we offered uh or the portfolio but you were able to do so on the MCCAST. You met the standard there that the MCCAST score come in. So it's it's otherwise a student if they wanted to maybe to your point uh take the final exam, not do a portfolio, do all of that and then also wait till the fall
151of their junior year when they get their MCCAST results if they met the standard by the the process that we have established here. Uh the MCCAST theirs would satisfy but all these So it turns it on its head. Before you MCCAST would you check the box and then if you needed to >> figure out waiverss or something. >> Okay. >> Did I miss anything? >> I think so. >> I don't have all the charts. >> And >> my understanding is you can take MCAST off the table completely. I just think it's a good idea to keep it as like the final backup plan of everything else. It also helps us show the students the importance of continuing to show up and take the game test. So, you know, it's a reason it's your backup plan,
152your safety. it it became the safety net which is kind of >> which is way to put it but >> and it's more for the kids who are currently >> who have already taken their the algebra one and geometry. So, it's almost like a temporary safety net, right? >> Because we can't go back for a a junior or senior now. We can't go back to their freshman year or even their eighth grade year when they took algebra one and say, "Well, how did you do on that final exam three years ago?" And we also weren't doing portfolios three years ago. So, for a student like that, if they did not pass a final or even here, we can't uh we have a record that shows they they were not successful on the final exam. they
153ultimately passed MCCAST then you know you can we can insert that in and say well we demonstrated that. >> Thank you for clarifying that. So because I think a lot of students there are a lot of students who would meet expectations on MCCAST and might have a bad day on a final or we all know kids sometimes do the math I only need to get this on a final and they're they're taking five of them right so because they're also taking finals in not in not these subjects you know they're taking finals in other subjects so it just seems again like this is a whole lot of work for I don't I don't get the point of this because if the backup plan is MCCAST any like instead you could say 70% of our kids
154met this we're all set let's focus our energies >> our resources and our time on the students that we know need that support maybe the kids who aren't meeting our um expectations on MCCAST instead it's all this upfront just makes no sense to me sorry I'm going to stop now but thank you for clarifying so >> the entire senior class the entire senior class has met determination in one way or the other >> based on the criteria. >> But the districts are still going to be the MCCAST is still going to be used for district accountability. >> Of course, >> okay, I'm just cranky tonight. >> It's okay. Get it all out. >> We're airing our grievances. >> Yes. Uh thank you for clarifying that appreciate it. >> I mean >> make sure we want
155to support students through this process and uh we we do our best to make sure that kids are earning their diplomas and if we however we can support them and provide them the necessary structures along the way. We we thought that after looking at the data not just the senior class but also our our juniors >> um that this was the best model. So it is not necessarily like the the top it is not the uh the first factor we're looking at but it it does come in secondarily. >> Yeah. >> No, I think it's great. I think it's really as thorough as and thoughtful as you can be given >> the circumstances the crazy circumstances. >> Yeah. Dr. were consulted with someone from uh secretary's office, right? Um making sure that what we were
156planning was, you know, met their standards or or approval, which it did. >> And the only backup, you would not have a backup for US history because there is no MCCAST backup. So that would have to be portfolio. >> But the nice thing is that all of our juniors are in civics. So that that project now becomes really important. >> But is the backup plan for the >> final exams not being one of those two final exams not being passed? >> Thank you for your >> going back to over time the collection of all this and the balance of all this is >> a significant like struggle. So we We need a way. We we painstakingly student by student in the senior class went through every student and made sure that they hit the criteria.
157You don't want to make a mistake. Now, we painstakingly did it and double checked it. We have not made a mistake with this in your class. I'm confident in that. >> Over time, over 900 plus students, we need a way to monitor this. And you worry that an unintended consequence of this is going to be further narrowing the curriculum because you're going to be forced to devote so many resources to English, math, and science and his US history, which are all important, but then what what inevitably happens in a especially in a world where budgets are tight, then okay, you know, all the electives that we want to we want to give students more access and and choice to >> and all the work you're doing there at some white choices have to be made
158unfortunately. So I really hope they'll consider all the reconsider a lot of this because I think it's going to have a detrimental effect on that. So >> if I may with this and the reason why I have this on the screen um I put this updated policy and I I don't do you have it in your folder where it says secondary I put it in a day or two ago and I don't know I I just looked and I did not see it. Um, so I I don't know what happened to it, but the the first read document that you have in there has some yellow highlighted areas where we needed to >> what is on the screen has some of those changes. So, if I can just um kind of walk you through it
159if that's okay. Under the aligned courses uh section here, We start I started listing all of the courses to provide for flexibility. I instead I put a reference that the aligned courses will be in the program of studies. So you approve the program of studies, we'll maintain the courses uh there that satisfy math, English, science. So that was one change and then there were two highlighted sections I think about uh it was the appeals process >> and I thought there was another one as well. So I made sure to have um under the additional considerations we have language busers with disabilities our English learners late enrollment students I think this may have been one of uh one of them where it's really this transcript review that's uh that's done by the high school which is
160already a practice that happens here uh there's an appeals process um that is required in this policy for uh for current students if they feel like they met the competency determination. Uh so it's um you know just trying to put in u that students or the guardians can appeal it to the principal. The principal will review the transcript and coursework evidence. uh principal will gather uh information from the necessary uh results of the building and then just to put a time frame around this that uh the principal will issue the final decision within 30 days. And then we also needed the appeals process uh for students who graduated between 2003 and 2024 and is essentially just uh notifying us that they feel uh they believe that they uh did not receive a diploma solely for
161the purpose of uh not meeting MCCAST uh standards. Uh so we can review transcripts um excuse me and then award a diploma if uh if they meet the criteria. That's also challenging to do to go back and understand exactly from 20 years ago what a course was if we don't have the course descriptions uh knowing the uh what they involved. So there has to be some flexibility with that as well. But I think those last the areas that we need to add between the first and second. >> Anyone have any questions? You're comfortable voting on that based on that? >> Yes. >> Okay. Um in that case, I would um entertain a motion to approve the following policies on the second reading. Competency determination policy IKF as presented and public participation at school committee meetings
162policy BH. >> So moved. >> Second. >> Motion by um Miss Ashley, seconded by Miss Ferrer. Anything further on discussion? Hearing none. All those in favor? I opposed. So voted. >> Thank you. All right. Next on the agenda, uh updates. I have nothing from Berkeley. So anybody set? >> Yep. Um so at our last meeting we had several um presentations. Um you know probably the most significant presentation was our student assessment update um and the presentation of our school improvement plans for our elementary schools. We had previously approved our middle school improvement plan. Uh but we did get a little refresher on that as well. Um so we spent a lot of time uh rightfully so on that. Um, and I am going to leave it at that. All right. How's that? Sounds good. >>
163That's great. That sounds great. >> Um, next on the agenda, topics not anticipated by the chair. 48 hours in advance of the meeting. I have none. Um, action items for future meetings in addition to what we discussed. I think we have plenty. >> Okay, great. If anything comes up, send them to Robin. Um, next in the agenda to consider approval of the minutes. Is everyone okay if we take them together? >> Yes. Okay. So, I'd entertain a motion to approve the open and joint open session minutes of November 18th, 2025 is presented. >> So moved. >> Second. >> Motion by Miss Ashley, second by Mr. Passac. Anything further on discussion? >> Um, hearing none. All those in favor? >> I. >> Opposed? So voted? I said I. Um and then next I would entertain um
164a motion to approve the joint executive session minutes of November 18th, 2025 as presented and to release them with redactions. >> So moved. >> Second. >> Motion by Miss Ashley, seconded by Mr. Pastnaka. Anything further on discussion hearing? None. All those in favor? >> I oppose. So voted. >> I would entertain a motion to adjurnn. >> So moved. >> Second. All right. All those in favor? I >> Thank you everyone.